Industry orders for the fourth quarter were 14,856, of which 4,916 were tank cars and 9,949 were (other) freight cars. That was up 3,799 cars, or 34%, from the 11,066 on order in the fourth quarter of 2012, and also up 2,112 cars, or about 16.5%, from the third quarter 2013 total of 12,753.

Deliveries for the fourth quarter totaled 15,776 railcars, up 3,961 cars, or 33.5%, from the 11,815 delivered in the fourth quarter of 2012, and also up 3,129 cars, or 24.8%, from the third quarter 2013 total of 12,647.

"Within those deliveries, 8,440 were tank cars, while 7,336 were freight cars. That is the largest single-quarter tank car delivery number ever, besting 3Q13's 7,589," noted KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. analyst Steven Barger, in a note to clients Thursday breaking down the delivery numbers.

The backlog at the end of the fourth quarter (and the 2013 year) was 72, 937 units, "down 1% sequentially from the 3Q13 backlog of 73,848, although the mix shifted toward freight cars," Barger noted.